


The Way I See You

by goingtothetardis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Discussion of self-worth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Kissing, Mild Angst, Post-Captivity, Prompt Fic, References to Emotional Abuse, References to slave traders, Self-Worth Issues, fluffy at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 04:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/pseuds/goingtothetardis
Summary: Weeks after the Doctor rescued her from slave traders, Rose continues to struggle with her own self-worth.





	The Way I See You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DirtyBrian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirtyBrian/gifts).



> Roseredconverse (dirtybrian) requested: Ten x Rose + “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
> 
> Thanks for this prompt!! I hope I filled it well. I sort of took it a different way than I originally planned, but oh well. I like it. 
> 
> Thanks to Caedmon for the read through!

“I’m nothing. I’ll never make a difference, not like you. I’m just a stupid ape from the estate who won’t ever be anything. I don’t know why you even bother keeping me around.” Rose curls up into a ball on the sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest, her words dull and lifeless The Doctor seethes inside, wishing he could physically strangle the scum who’d repeated these words to Rose during her captivity. 

But no, he’d promised her he wouldn’t go back, not after rescuing her and officially dismantling the slave trade ring. It’s been weeks ago, now, since he’d finally rescued Rose from said slave traders, and since then, they’ve rarely left the Vortex, save to visit Jackie one time with fake smiles plastered on their faces. Every day is a struggle, this one included, as Rose had endured an unfathomable amount of emotional abuse by her captors. Had they physically abused her in any way, the Doctor knows he would have been unable to keep his word to Rose. They’d be mere specks of dust in the vacuum of space, and he’d have destroyed them without blinking. 

No second chances.

The Doctor swallows heavily, struggling to abandon such dark thoughts, and focuses on the beautiful – but shattered – woman in front of him. Him, the Time Lord full of words and nonsense, finds himself at a loss, unsure of what to say to comfort Rose. To be honest, he’s not quite sure if  _ anything  _ will give her the comfort she needs right now. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” The words slip out before he can stop himself, and he holds his breath, waiting for Rose’s reaction.

“What d’ya mean?” she asks, raising her head slightly to shoot him a questioning glance. “Already told you I’m nothing, so why bother?”

The Doctor takes a deep breath and grits his teeth.  _ Oh, _ he’d do  _ anything  _ to wrap his fingers around the necks of her captors for convincing Rose to believe their words. 

“Rose.” He slowly reaches out and pushes back the clump of hair that falls forward across her face, partially obstructing his view of her face. She flinches slightly at his touch, and his heart breaks. “From the moment I met you, I knew you were far more than ‘nothing’. First of all, your hand –  _ this  _ hand – fit in mine better than anyone else’s has before.” The Doctor takes her hand in hers, holding it loosely until she squeezes it in return. He smiles but knows it’s strained. 

“You, Rose Tyler, challenged me, contradicted me, drove me bloody crazy, you did,” he says, his voice briefly falling back into its northern patterns. “And I came back for you after I asked you to come with me. Do you know how many times I’ve done that?”

Rose sniffles, but sits up slowly and shakes her head. “No,” she mutters, briefly meeting his gaze before chewing on her thumbnail. 

“Rose,” he says again, scooting closer and turning to face her. Close enough to touch if she desires, but far enough away to give her space. “You are beautiful. Your smile blinds me every time I see it, distracts me until it’s all I can think about.” She blushes under his words, but doesn’t look at him. “Your kindness and compassion astounds me. You connect with everyone we meet in our travels on a level even I don’t understand, and even when I don’t think they’re worthy of saving, you tell me I’m wrong.”

He pauses a moment to allow Rose to process his words, and then he continues. “You stand by my side as an equal and put me, the last Lord of Time, in his place. I’d be a terrible monster without you Rose. I was headed down that path when we met. You make me better.”

Twin tears trail down each of Rose’s cheeks, and she covers a muffled sob with her pillow. “How can you say that about me? You know who I am, where I’m from. I’m not perfect, Doctor. You can’t put me up on a pedestal like that.” 

The Doctor frowns, then leans forward to brush the tears off her cheeks. This time she meets his gaze, and there’s a mess of emotions in her eyes.  _ Disbelief mixed with belief. Hope. Uncertainty. Skepticism. _ Still, it’s better than the emotionless gaze she’d directed at him minutes before. 

“I never said you were perfect, but I won’t deny that I put you on a pedestal. Maybe I shouldn’t, but you’ve saved me from so much, Rose, so it’s hard not to. You have no idea. But you’ve taken to this life with me, at my side, better than I ever imagined. You– You’re made for this life, traveling the stars.”

For the first time in several weeks, Rose cracks the barest hint of a smile. “The Doctor and Rose Tyler,” she breathes.

“You are  _ never _ nothing, and you  _ have never been _ nothing. You, Rose Tyler, are brilliant, and you will do great things, no matter when and where you are in the universe. You already have.” He cups her face in his palm, and his hearts soar when she leans into it. “And I won’t let anyone get away with telling you otherwise.”

He holds out his arms, welcoming but not forcing, and he sighs in relief when Rose unravels herself from her position and shifts until she’s resting against his chest. His arms wrap tightly around her, and he holds her close. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I’m sorry it took so long to find you. I’m sorry they made you believe the things they told you.”

“I’ll be okay,” she says, voice muffled against his chest. “This helps.  _ You  _ help. This, it’s… nice. I never thought you’d be able to do this.”

He pulls away slightly and looks down at her. “What do you mean?”

She blushes, looks away, then back. “All this,” she says, chewing her bottom lip. “It’s all a bit, I dunno, domestic, isn’t it?”

“Rose, don’t  _ ever _ tell your mother this, but I think I lost the battle against domestics the second you started traveling with me.”

His hearts warm when Rose giggles. “So you’re saying domestics with me aren’t so bad?”

“You, Rose Tyler, make everything better.” He smiles down at her, unable to help himself, and he finds himself trapped in Rose’s whiskey gaze. 

Before he knows what’s happened, Rose’s lips are on his, and for several long moments, he loses himself in the sensations of the kiss. It’s chaste, her lips feather light against his, soft and tentative, but when he pulls back, there’s nothing but hope in Rose’s eyes. He leans down to press his lips against hers once more, short and sweet, then lifts his head and pulls her against him. 

There’s promise in that kiss, but he won’t push the matter until he’s certain Rose is ready. In the meantime, he’s comfortable on the sofa with Rose in his arms, and the thought of moving and disrupting this moment between him sends cold dread running through his veins. “I think…” he pauses to get control of his voice, “it’s time to watch ‘The Lion King’ again. What do you think, Rose?” 

“We’ve watched that three times in the last week, Doctor,” Rose answers. “How about…” There’s a long pause from his companion before she speaks again. “‘Brave.’ I could do with a bit of Scottish courage right now.”

The Doctor grins. “I’ll chase you over hill and over dale,” he says, smirking when Rose groans into his chest. “Too much?” 

“No,” she says, looking up at him with eyes momentarily free of painful memories. “As long as you don’t stop chasing me.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at goingtothetardis.tumblr.com!


End file.
